I posted about making some knives on the wrong thread. Maybe the mods can move it over here.Anyway --------http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/12509004/Re:_Anybody_here_make_knives?#Post12509004

So yesterday I ground out another blade. Made from the tang end of a piece of left over rasp from another knife project. 3.5" blade x 5.5" handle. This time I went with a flat grind over convex. Wanted a thinner blade for this skinner. Was lucky to keep the hardness in the edge. My diamond hone just skates across the steel. Now waiting on some wood to make the hidden tang handle. It might get desert ironwood or even black ebony. Here's the latest blade project. Nothing fancy, just a polished brass guard.

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From Genesis: "And God promised men that good and obedient wives would be found in all corners of the earth."

Then He made the earth round...and He laughed and laughed and laughed!

Finished the hog fighting knife yesterday. Really like the Cocobolo wood. Very dense but easy to work with 80 grit sanding belt. Polishes up real shiny. 12" oal with 7" blade. Enough to reach the gizzard.

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From Genesis: "And God promised men that good and obedient wives would be found in all corners of the earth."

Then He made the earth round...and He laughed and laughed and laughed!

Made me a jig for holding the blade for bevel grinding. It works but needs some refinement. Like being made from precision ground tool steel instead of soft angle iron. Old door hinge, a few bolts and some angle iron and a flat piece of iron. I use small C-clamps to clamp the blade blank to the back side if the angle and just drag it across the belt a few dozen times. Center bolt raised and lowers to set the bevel cut angle. Horizontal bolts to rest the blade backbone on to hold it in place. Crude but it works OK and was cheap.

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From Genesis: "And God promised men that good and obedient wives would be found in all corners of the earth."

Then He made the earth round...and He laughed and laughed and laughed!

These ain't forged. They are ground down from old farriers hoof rasps that are hardened steel. Most likely 1095 carbon. During the grinding I try to keep them as cool as possible to avoid as much softening as I can. After grinding down to a profile I temper them in the oven to soften them to around RC 60 so the will sharpen easy and hold an edge and not be too brittle and break. Lots of work and grinding. If I had a forge I would sure use it as it would make grinding profiles much easier-------and cheaper. Those ceramic grit belts are $12 to $14 each and it takes 2-3 belts to make one knife. Tempering changes the metal grain structure to martinsite which is a finer grain and holds a keener edge.

Edited by Muzzlebrake (12/02/1703:48 PM)

_________________________
From Genesis: "And God promised men that good and obedient wives would be found in all corners of the earth."

Then He made the earth round...and He laughed and laughed and laughed!